William Cullen Wilcox (August 6, 1850 – January 26, 1928) was an American missionary to South Africa. With his wife, Ida Belle Clary Wilcox, he "adopted"

John Dube John Langalibalele Dube (22 February 1871 – 11 February 1946) was a South African essayist, philosopher, educator, politician, publisher, editor, novelist and poet. He was the founding president of the South African Native National Congress ...

, who was to be the first President of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

and the first black founder of a South African school. Ida Wilcox taught Nokutela Mdima who was to become Nokutela Dube. The Wilcoxes arranged for black South Africans to own land, and as a result they were driven out of South Africa in 1918. The South African government conferred the

Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo The Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo is a South African honour. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is granted by the President of South Africa to foreign citizens who have promoted South African interests and aspirations through c ...

on the Wilcoxes for their work in 2009. They "sacrificed all that they had in solidarity with the South African people."

Lives

William Cullen Wilcox was born in

Richfield, Ohio Richfield is a village in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,648 at the 2010 census. The village and the adjacent Richfield Township are approximately equidistant between the downtown areas of Akron and Cleveland. It is ...

, to Jeremiah Cullen and Julia Ann (born Wilder) Wilcox."William Cullen Wilcox"
Ancestry.com. Retrieved August 1, 2013. William married Ida Belle Clary Wilcox in

Northfield, Minnesota Northfield is a city in Dakota and Rice counties in the State of Minnesota. It is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. History Northfield was platted in 1856 by John W ...

, where she was born. They were to have eight children together. They were sent to South Africa as missionaries by the

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...

and they arrived in Inanda, north of

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, in 1881. This was a substantial mission known as the American Zulu Mission or AZM. Ida Wilcox taught girls including the future Nokutela Dube and Ida wrote a regular contribution for ''Rice County Journal'' in

to publicize their work.Coan, Stephen
"It's Nokutela's Turn"
''The Witness'', via News24, November 2, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2014. William was asked to talk to John Dube about his poor behavior at the Adams School in

Amanzimtoti Amanzimtoti is a coastal town just south of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The town is well known for its warm climate and numerous beaches, and is a popular tourist destination, particularly with surfers. The annual sardine run attracts ...

. John was the son of the Reverend James Dube who was the Congregational minister at the AZM in Inanda. William-Cullen-Wilcox

In 1887, they were returning to the United States, and Dube and his mother persuaded the missionary couple to take John Dube to the United States where he could further his education. The Wilcoxes agreed on the condition that the child was to maintain himself financially. In 1888, Wilcox was pastor in Keene Valley Congregational church in New York and he asked Dube to visit him where Wilcox could use Dube's printing skills to create a pamphlet called "Self Support among the Kaffirs" which argued for native South Africans to use self-help to better themselves. Wilcox went on a lecture tour and took the seventeen-year-old Dube with him. Dube gave a number of lectures, which formed the basis of his pamphlet, "A Familiar Talk Upon My native Land and some things found there" (Rochester, N.Y.: R.M. Swinburne & Co. 1891?). Ida-Belle-Clary-Wilcox

With the Wilcox's help, Dube was able to attend

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

although he also had to find time to work. Dube never graduated but he gathered a basic higher education. Dube returned to Africa to found what became the

Ohlange High School Ohlange High School is a secondary school in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded by John Dube and Nokuthela Dube née Mdima.

in 1901. (Dube founded a newspaper and he was a founder and the first President of the organisation that became the

.) In 1909, the Wilcoxes created a company called the ''Zululand Industrial Improvement Company'', which was owned by 300 black South Africans and themselves. The company led to acquiring land for thousands of black natives in Natal Province, which was met with disapproval by the local government. The Wilcoxes objected to the Natives Land Act of 1913, which restricted the right of people to buy land based on their race. They organised blacks to oppose this law which not only denied them new land but also denied the use of the land to those who already owned it or who were renting it. As a result of their opposition, the couple were driven to bankruptcy in 1918 by the administration and white colonial South Africans who were afraid of what might happen if the native population was allowed to own land. They returned to the United States where their situation was described as destitute. William and Ida Wilcox died in poverty in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

in 1928 and 1940, respectively. They were buried in the

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original and current flagship location of Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of six cemeteries and four additional mortuaries in Southern Cal ...

Legacy

The Wilcoxes contribution to South Africa's history was recognised when the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr

Zweli Mkhize Zwelini Lawrence Mkhize (born 2 February 1956) is a South African medical doctor and politician who served as the Minister of Health from May 2019 until his resignation on 5 August 2021. He previously served as the Minister of Cooperative Governa ...

, visited Los Angeles to honour them in 2009. Various politicians and the grandson of the missionary couple, Reverend Jackson Wilcox, attended the ceremony. Mkhize said "William and Ida Belle Wilcox sacrificed all that they had in solidarity with the South African people." Their work was awarded the

also in 2009 - the highest South African honour available to foreigners. The Wilcoxes were also honoured in a speech by the South African President

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

in 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, William Cullen 1850 births 1928 deaths People from Summit County, Ohio American Congregationalist ministers American Congregationalist missionaries American expatriates in South Africa People from Glendale, California Recipients of the Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Congregationalist missionaries in South Africa